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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bowl · pitch · game · present · spell · temple · bank · snap

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. snap — to click
  6. present — the time now
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. game — wild animals
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. bank — for money
  11. spell — letters
  12. present — a gift
  13. bank — of a river
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. game — a match
  16. spell — magic
  17. present — there
  18. bank — for money
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. pitch — completely
  21. spell — a short time
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. game — a kind of play

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com